Archive for: twitter

Twitter: Social Network or Personal Billboard?

Basic Guide to Networking on TwitterA lot of people find it challenging to stay on top of social media because of the constant changes to the platforms themselves. Those changes had made some of the information in my Basic Guide to Networking on Twitter out of date, but I’m happy to say that an updated version is now available.

Although the tools change, one thing that remains constant is the importance of focusing on the conversation rather than shameless self-promotion.  I was recently asked by FizzNiche, “What is the trick to posting updates on Twitter that both promote and engage?”

Read my answer and get a feel for what’s in my Twitter Guide.

Avoiding Automation Overkill

social media automationThere are a lot of tools out there that were designed to save us time when using social media. I take advantage of a select few myself, such as using FeedBurner to automatically post my blog updates to my Twitter feed.

There are also a lot of people out there who have discovered they can automatically send their tweets to Facebook and/or LinkedIn. But does the fact that you can do this mean it’s a good idea? I don’t think it is, and I’m not the only one.

Several months ago, Alex Astell gave us Six good reasons not to feed your Tweets to Facebook and LinkedIn which sums things up very nicely.

I connected with British social media coach, trainer and speaker Nicky Kriel in a LinkedIn group when she raised a question on this very topic, and I was delighted to discover that our opinions are very similar in this area.

If you’ve been using automation to send all your posts from Twitter to LinkedIn and/or Facebook and are now seeing the light, Nicky provides some great tips for switching it off:

If you’re not yet using Twitter, or you need a few pointers on using it as an effective networking tool, you need my Basic Guide to Networking on Twitter.

Free Resources and a Special Offer for Social Media Day

social media dayLast year the folks over at Mashable declared June 30th as Social Media Day. Thousands of meet-ups are taking place around the world to allow social media users to come out from behind their computer screens and connect in person. As far as I’ve heard, no event’s being held here in Hamilton, so I’m really pleased to be presenting on Social Media for Employment Counsellors for the local Employment Assistance Resource Network (EARN) this morning.

But that’s enough about me! In honour of Social Media Day, I’d like to do something for YOU, so I’m offering $5.00 off my Basic Guide for Networking on Twitter, which was launched earlier this year. To take advantage of this special, simply enter the coupon code smday when you place your order. I wouldn’t want you to miss out if you’re taking a tech break over the long weekend, so this offer will remain in effect until midnight on Friday, July 8th.

I’ve also found a couple of up-to-date free downloads for you (no email address required):

Have you ever met face-to-face with someone you met on social media? Tell us about it!

The Price of Popularity

I became a big fan of social media long before I even knew that’s what it was called. Twitter and Facebook in particular have allowed me to grow my network and stay connected to a much larger group of peopleI think someone is following me! than would have been possible even ten years ago. Every week I discover interesting new people to learn from and, at the same time, I’m growing a reputation as an expert within my target market. This kind of recognition is great for both my ego and my bank balance, but it’s not without its challenges.

Like many others, I take advantage of time-saving tools to manage my social media presence, but that can only take you so far. Automated systems cannot take the place of personal engagement, and personal engagement requires time and effort.

For example, based on a couple of blog posts I’d read, I recently concluded that thanking people who retweeted my posts by tweeting “Thanks for the RTs @person1 @person2 @person3″ was just adding more noise to the already-cluttered Twitter stream. I then decided to return the favour instead, giving more value both to the retweeter and my other followers (see my post What Do You Do When Someone Retweets You? for more details). However, it didn’t take me long to realize that browsing their Twitter stream in search of something interesting, clicking on a link for further exploration in most cases, and then retweeting if appropriate, increases the time spent from a few seconds to a few minutes – even more if the first tweet doesn’t prove to be compelling. Multiply that by the number of retweets I receive each week, and I could spend hours just acknowledging my retweets!

I also make a practice of checking out my new followers and personally responding to comments on my blog and social media posts, as well as commenting on other people’s posts. These activities have contributed greatly to the size and strength of my network and brought me lots of additional business, so I’m certain I’ve found the right strategy for my business.

The challenge is that the more people who are reading, sharing, and commenting on my posts, the more time these activities require, and the more business I have, the harder it is to continue giving my social network the same level of attention.

This situation is really nothing new. Even before the Internet became an important resource for entrepreneurs, successful small business owners have struggled to make time for marketing and networking. Yet we know that if we don’t continue to invest time in marketing our businesses, the day will come when we have no business left to run.

How about you? What is your biggest challenge when it comes to social media?

Whatever it is, you’ll probably find the answer, and a lot more besides, at Social Media Success Summit 2011.

What’s Happening to My Facebook Page?

Facebook is at it again – more changes are in the works, and if you have a Facebook page for your business, you need to be aware of them.

If adapting to change is a challenge for you, take heart in the fact that your business page will now look more like your personal profile, following the changes to profiles back in November. You’ll see that tabs which used to be across the top are now on the left side, and a row of five photos is displayed across the top.

Organized Assistant on Facebook

At this time, upgrading to the new look is optional, but any pages which haven’t already made the switch will automatically be converted on March 11, 2011.

If you have questions about the new Facebook pages, or to suggest social media topics you’d like me to explore in future posts, please feel free to leave a comment below.